This was our 4th cruise and first with NCL. We enjoyed our trip and saw many wonderful and scenic ports in Norway.
Our cruise left from Hamburg, Germany. They have a smaller cruise port there but we were through the line and on the boat in an acceptable and well-organized manner. The Jade is a stylishly remodeled ship holding a little over 2,000 passengers. Our interior cabin was well-designed and we especially liked the larger shower in comparison to other cruise lines we have traveled with in the past.
I was a little nervous about the cruise before we left as many of the reviews of this ship and NCL have tended to be on the negative side. Our experience was wonderful.
The Freestyle platform allowed us to eat when and where we wanted. The food was pretty good. Some dishes were excellent and others were average. My biggest concern with foos was the lack of bold flavors. Dishes marked spicy were rather banal in my opinion. We did really love the wide variety of dining options. We were always able to find seating when we used the buffet.
The entertainment was good but a bit inconsistent. Some of the solo acts were average. The main singers and dancers were very excellent and talented.
The crew was a bit more reserved than we had experienced with other lines. We did eventually find some crew members who were more friendly and willing to engage with us.
Excursions were well organized. We had to tender 3 times. Each time we were off the ship quickly. The quality was wonderful and we had good guides and experiences.
I have read disparaging reviews about NCL always hounding people to spend money. We did not experience that. We felt that they always would ask you if wanted something like, for example, bottled water at a meal (for a cost). However, we would say no and they did not pressure us further. We never felt badgered to spend additional money on the cruise.
We would travel with NCL again if there was an itinerary we liked. We felt we definitely received good value for fare.

Thumbs up for Norway cruise with NCL.

Norwegian Jade Cruise Review by Dougds9

This was our 4th cruise and first with NCL. We enjoyed our trip and saw many wonderful and scenic ports in Norway.

Our cruise left from Hamburg, Germany. They have a smaller cruise port there but we were through the line and on the boat in an acceptable and well-organized manner. The Jade is a stylishly remodeled ship holding a little over 2,000 passengers. Our interior cabin was well-designed and we especially liked the larger shower in comparison to other cruise lines we have traveled with in the past.

I was a little nervous about the cruise before we left as many of the reviews of this ship and NCL have tended to be on the negative side. Our experience was wonderful.

The Freestyle platform allowed us to eat when and where we wanted. The food was pretty good. Some dishes were excellent and others were average. My biggest concern with foos was the lack of bold flavors. Dishes marked spicy were rather banal in my opinion. We did really love the wide variety of dining options. We were always able to find seating when we used the buffet.

The entertainment was good but a bit inconsistent. Some of the solo acts were average. The main singers and dancers were very excellent and talented.

The crew was a bit more reserved than we had experienced with other lines. We did eventually find some crew members who were more friendly and willing to engage with us.

Excursions were well organized. We had to tender 3 times. Each time we were off the ship quickly. The quality was wonderful and we had good guides and experiences.

I have read disparaging reviews about NCL always hounding people to spend money. We did not experience that. We felt that they always would ask you if wanted something like, for example, bottled water at a meal (for a cost). However, we would say no and they did not pressure us further. We never felt badgered to spend additional money on the cruise.

We would travel with NCL again if there was an itinerary we liked. We felt we definitely received good value for fare.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Inside

Cabin IE 4557

The cabin was a bit cramped. We would have like a place to sit down other than the bed. The only chair was a round stool. Plenty of closet space and a larger bathroom than expected. Loved the big shower.